


Two Races

by Octoreader



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Discrimination, Eventual Romance, F/F, Hybrid Protagonist (Inkling/Octoling), Not going to spam my story with tags and I can't think of anything more so I hope you enjoy it!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23238841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octoreader/pseuds/Octoreader
Summary: Mollie is...different. She's a cross between an inkling and an octoling. She wishes to go to Inkopolis and start her own place but experiences bullying almost immediately. She then tries to hide her true race. Will someone accept Mollie the way she is? Or is she destined to pretend to be something she is not?
Relationships: OC/OC
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**irst, I'm running two fics at once (Fresh Out of Octo Canyon) so updates will be a bit lengthy at times. Please be understanding.**

**Second, there's an artist who had a REALLY good design of an inkling/octoling hybrid that gave me a rough design to base my character off of and inspiration. I wanted to use the artist's picture for my cover but I can't find them anywhere on the internet so I would not be able to properly credit them. There art is just...there, which is a bit weird. Either way, it would feel wrong not giving a thank you to this artist. If I ever find their name, I'll put them down here. That said, this story is my own. The only reason I am mentioning this is that the way I describe my character's tentacles is similar to said artist's tentacle design and they gave me inspiration to write this.**

**Finally, I really appreciate those reviews you guys. They really motivate me. Now please sit back, relax, and enjoy.**

**Mollie's P.O.V:**

My phone alarm went off in my pocket with it's annoying ringtone that I still don't know how to change. It was set to be just like one of those old fashioned alarm clocks and the fact that I had my volume on all the way by no means helped.

_BBBBRRRRRIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGG!_

I tapped my alarm to snooze and checked the time. Five o'clock in the morning. I hate getting up early. I hated this trip too which was even worse. Five hours in a cramped bus only to get off and immediately board a slightly less cramped bus for another five hours.

I was trying to get to Inkopolis which made me ecstatic thinking about despite the rough trip. Right now, the sun was barely even up and I had my roller bag in the seat next to me. I had a seat free to do that because nobody seemed to really want to sit with me which was a bit disappointing but not entirely unexpected…

My name is Mollie. I'm fourteen and am also two different races at the same time. I'm half inkling which come from my dad's side but I'm also half octoling which comes from my mothers. I have octarian eyes but still have the pointed ears of my inkling father. I've got two small blue inkling tentacles in the front of my head but I have two blue octarian tentacles in the back, suckers and all.

So I guess I look a bit weird to a lot of people. I lived in a small town and besides the occasional bullying at school, it was pretty all right. Didn't have many friends though. My mom did just fine despite the fact that she kind of stood out and all being an octoling. Besides, I hear Inkopolis has a couple of octolings there now.

However, nobody on this bus seemed to want to get near me. I saw a lot of whispering and stares but I had other things on my mind. I was too busy thinking about Inkopolis. The colors! The people! The sights! It was my dream to make it big there!

The plan for me was simple. I would get a cheap hotel room with the small amount of money I had. I would then join a turf team, make some cash, and afford to be able to pay the rent. Maybe once I got really settled, I could start decking it out. Maybe get a couple of decorations, a few posters here and there, nothing horribly fancy.

Well this would all happen, if I ever got there. This bus ride was taking forever. My knees were starting to really kill me.

"Who the heck is that?" whispered girl wearing a biker helmet a couple of feet away.

"Some sort of mutation. Is she a hybrid or something?" said a girl in a school uniform and hair pin.

"That's so gross!" said the girl with the biker helmet.

Okay, so I've dealt with my share of bullies so I ignored it. I should mention that I'm way smaller than a lot of kids my age. Getting confrontational wasn't a good idea. I just decided to tune it all out..

"What kind of inkling and octoling come together and decided to have a child?" said the girl with the helmet.

"Probably ones that aren't right in the head." said the girl in the school uniform making a cuckoo gesture to her friend.

I every urge to not leap across the isle and strangle the little brat. I don't care about a couple of jabs at me but if someone decides to insult my _**parents**_ , that's a different story. There pretty nice people, mind you.

Strangling a girl, however, was not going to do me any favors in Inkopolis and certainly wasn't how a reasonable cephalopod like myself does things. Instead, I decided to play it a bit more cooly.

"Yo," I said turning to face them, "I can hear everything your saying. Mind not insulting my parents?"

The girls seemed really shocked that I could actually speak for some reason. Gee, maybe I actually have a voice ladies? Ever thought of that?

The girl with the helmet regained her composure and responded hostile by saying, "I'll say whatever I want you…"

I'm not going to repeat what she said but I'll just say it was a really offensive term that translates something close to, "Drown in water while covered in shark poo."

"Excuse me?" I responded still trying to keep my cool, "May I ask what your damage is?"

"My damage is you hybrid." responded the inkling wearing the helmet, "Why don't you just go on the roof or something? Your grossing us all out."

By now, all the inklings on the bus had woken up and were staring at us. They were probably bored out of their minds so I can't really blame them.

"Okay," I said, "Just please don't diss my parents. I just don't take well to self-entitled little brats thinking they can just insult the people that raised me."

I realized later that last part may have been a little but too much.

I turned around to ignore them. I planned to just get my headphones out of my bag and listen to some Off the Hook so I could relax. However, as I turned around I saw something that caught my attention through the window….

Inkopolis. It was maybe just thirty minutes away! This trip would finally be over!

Suddenly, I felt a large yank off my shoulder that knocked me off my seat followed by a loud yell.

I barely had time to register what was happening as I hit the floor... hard. I heard yelling from the other inklings and I could see very clearly the inkling with the helmet on top of me. I barely had time to say a word before she struck me right in the face.

"Call me a brat again!" she yelled as she punched me once more.

I managed to wriggle out from under her and stand back up as the girl's friend pulled her off. The entire bus was in an uproar.

"Disgusting half breed!" she screamed as she tried to lunge at me while restrained by her friend's arms.

"What is wrong with you?!" I said.

I must have really touched a nerve or something because her friend in the school uniform was just barely keeping her restrained. The girl with helmet's face was red with anger.

All the inklings on the bus were stirred up but someone soon put an end to that...

"What is going on here?!" yelled a voice.

Everyone went silent. It took me a while to discern who was speaking. All the inklings were staring at the floor which was really confusing until I could see why. On the floor was a sea cucumber in a little top hat. It was our driver.

"Well?!" the sea cucumber commanded.

"This hybrid attacked me!" yelled the girl in the helmet.

I looked at her like she was an idiot. Not only was that _**low**_ but _**nobody**_ would buy such a thing. Not even sea cucumbers.

"That's absolutely not what happened." I told the sea cucumber but another inkling spoke up.

"She's lying." spoke up an inkling, "The hybrid did it."

"Yeah," said another, "I saw it to."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"All right then," said the cucumber, "Get off my bus."

"Wait, what?" I gasped in disbelief.

"You heard me," said the sea cucumber, "Get off my bus before I call the police. I got no time to time for disturbances."

This...this wasn't like anything I had experienced before. I looked around the bus, there wasn't a single inkling willing to tell the truth. They all wanted me out.

I've dealt with bullying my entire life. It's inevitable really. I'm different so therefore some people are going to eventually bully me. In my little town, I was able to get by. I didn't have any close friends but nobody really interacted with me, which in a way was good because that meant I didn't attract a lot of unwanted attention either. I was hoping a bit that I could go to Inkopolis and make some friends, you know? It seemed like they were so much more tolerant there by letting octolings live there and all.

Well, it looks like I was wrong. I'm still someone people don't want to interact with. I'm still an ugly hybrid.

I noticed that I started to unconsciously cry. A few tears were streaming down my cheeks.

Damnit, now I'm looking like a baby.

"Fine…" I sniffed, "Hope you all are all happy."

More tears were coming. I needed to get off the bus, quickly.

I grabbed my roller bag and shot out the door without even looking back.

By the time the bus rolled away I was full on sobbing.

Why did it have to be this way? All the time? I thought I would be able to enjoy Inkopolis without the cool reception I got back at my place. This was worse. People were just flat out mean here.

To top it all off, I had to walk for who knows how long.

Okay Mollie, get a grip. You need to stop crying. You're wasting time.

I sniffed and dusted myself off. Good.

Okay so Inkopolis was closer but still a bit far. The bus was going like thirty miles an hour or something. So say it was give or take a half hour away. That would mean...30 miles per hour...divided by half an hour...like 15 miles.

15 miles to walk. I could probably get there in a couple of hours. The sun was just starting to come up. It was still really early in the morning. I could probably get there by noon.

Still, it was probably going to suck. Those inklings on the bus are probably relaxing in their air conditioning and are almost there already. I was starting to tear up again.

Okay, you know what? I just won't think about the bus. Screw busses.

I began to walk before I had an idea...

Does Inkopolis know I'm a hybrid yet?

Nope.

So you know, I'm not going to put up with this crap when I get there. I got out a hoodie and sunglasses. I pulled the hoodie up over the back of my head, which covered my octarian tentacles in the back but left my short inkling ones in the front exposed. I then put the sunglasses over my octarian eyes.

There! Inkopolis will never suspect a thing!

Then again, I'm not sure if I want to go around in a sweaty hoodie and sunglasses all the time. It would be pretty uncomfortable. I guess, I'll just take each problem one at a time...

I sighed and began the long walk to Inkopolis.

**What did you all think? Let me know in a review! Keep reading and stay fresh!**

**Fight for all Fiction**

**-Octoreader**


	2. Small Hybrid in a Big City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mollie finally gets to Inkopolis and things already get complicated...

This was taking forever…

I had hiked for like four hours and I was almost there. However, the whole experience was excruciating. I paused to hydrate occasionally but I was still hungry, tired, and thirsty.

I swear if I ever see that girl again…

Eventually, Inkopolis got a lot closer and my old country road branched to what looked like the side of a highway. I traveled up the exit ramp and traveled at the side of the loud noisy road. I was sure to avoid getting too close to the road. I don't need a driver clipping me before I got to Inkopolis.

Looking just on the horizon, the highway went right over the ocean. It was a nice bridge with a dedicated side to foot traffic. There were even lamp posts and phone booths and stuff on it. It was definitely designed for foot traffic. I could even see a couple of people on it. On the other side was my goal, Inkopolis.

At last this would almost be over! Inkopolis was so close! I could even see the Great Zapfish from here! I was giddy with excitement and broke into a jog over to the bridge.

By the time I got up to the bridge, I was absolutely exhausted. My exhaustion outweighed my excitement and I downgraded my jog into a walk. It sucked. You know that feeling when you get up really early on Squidmas morning but you have to wait for hours to open your presents? I was so close to Inkopolis and the walk across the bridge felt like forever.

Eventually, I made it across and I instantly was in a new world. Buildings towered around me so high! Lights were everywhere! It was like a jungle of concrete! I was almost immediately crowded by Inklings walking around. So many people were in one spot! I was kind of glad I made the decision to hide my octarian tentacles. I would never be able to maneuver around this city without people giving me weird looks without my disguise.

There were tons of shops too! I drooled all over the windows at fresh weapons and clothes I knew I could only dream of affording. Maybe I could save up for them some day.

Well, clothes can come later. My immediate concern was food. I was absolutely starving.

I saw a food truck with some shrimp running the place. I saw a long line of inklings. I reasoned the food there must be good if someone was willing to wait in such a long line. It was titled the "Crust Bucket" on the truck.

Despite my stomach's protests, I decided to go eat there despite the line. The food would be reward enough. However, after about five minutes in line I was really beginning to regret doing this. The smells of frying food only added to my hunger.

"And then the hybrid called me a brat! The nerve!"

I swear I nearly jumped fifteen feet high. That voice was familiar. I looked over at the tables beside the food truck and I couldn't believe what I saw..

It was the inkling in the bikers helmet, sitting right there with her friends. No more than ten feet away from me. I immediately checked to make sure my hoodie was completely on and readjusted my sunglasses. I did not want to be recognized. The chances of this happening...I mean come on, Fate! You just lugged me through a good four hours of walking for cod's sake!

I listened in on the inkling's conversation.

"So then I kicked the freak's face in! You should have seen her!" laughed the inkling. The other couple of inklings she was with laughed to.

I immediately felt anger. Not only was this girl exaggerating about how her attack went but this girl was already ruining my reputation to! What makes her think she can do this? What gives her the right? More disturbingly, the inklings who I didn't recall being on the bus, seemed to applaud her actions. I was getting the sinking sensation that Inkopolis was worse than my home. I was beginning to feel more grateful that I had the sense to disguise myself. I'm probably going to have to do it for a while until this inkling stops babbling about me. Maybe even full time. I was getting the sense that Inkopolis wasn't going to like me more and more.

"Uh, excuse me squido." said a voice that snapped me out of my thoughts, "You going to order anything?"

I jumped and realized I was in front of the line. The shrimp was waiting for my order. I quickly scanned the menu and found what was called a "Seanwhich" I had no idea what it was but I didn't care. I needed food.

"Okay squido," said the shrimp guy after I told him what I wanted, "What size do you want? We have Crusty, Super, or Galactic!"

My stomach rumbled.

"Galactic!" I practically sputtered out. I could eat a Kraken.

"Okey dokey squido!" replied the shrimp, "It should be ready in a few minutes!"

I waited by the window of the food truck. I was gonna pick up my order and get the heck out of here. I did not need to be recognized. The girl with the helmet stopped talking about her trip and started talking about one of the shops she went to or something. I still was not taking any chances.

The shrimp handed me my order from the window and I handed him some cash in return. I took off, practically running. I rushed through the streets past some confused inklings until I was sure I was not going to be within the proximity of that girl.

The downside of all this was that I had gone away from the square and into one of the backroads of Inkopolis. There weren't many shops here, mostly just warehouses and whatnot. That meant it was gonna be hard finding someplace confortable to sit at.

I eventually found a railing I could sit out and comfortably eat my lunch. The galactic seanwhich I had ordered was massive. It was some sort of double hot dog with fried shrimp as the buns. I absolutely demolished it. By the time I was done, I was stuffed and satisfied.

All right. What next?

I took the time on the railing to just take everything in. This backstreet was peaceful enough, not a lot of people here. So many opportunities Lots of stuff to do. This was going to be great...assuming everything went according to plan.

My only worry was how I was going to handle my appearance. I had serious reservations about wearing anything but a hoodie and sunglasses, especially after all the stuff that jerk of a girl was saying about me. I was going to fly under the radar for now, something I'm pretty good at doing.

As I was looking around planning what I should do next I saw a figure walking up the street.

It was a girl and she looked really confused, like she was trying to figure out something. She was an inkling with orange tentacles and a beanie. She wandered about aimlessly and carried a really oversized backpack. Like seriously, it looked like she was going camping or something with how much stuff she was carrying. I reasoned she must be new like me.

She noticed me, the only person visible in the street, and approached me. I panicked for a second and thought maybe I was recognized but the girl's face didn't reflect any hostility. In fact, she just seemed kind of shy to me.

"Uh excuse me," she asked nervously, "Do you know where I can register for turf war?"

Oh, so she was new after all. I needed to register for turf too. May be as good of a time as any. Perhaps, I could help her...

"That's a stupid idea!" screamed my brain, "What happened to staying under the radar?"

My brain was probably right. (I mean it usually is) This would end badly. Don't need to unnecessarily interact with people. That's an invitation to be recognized. Best to distance myself and let her figure it out.

But part of me felt a strange feeling of longing. Like I said before, I never really had any friends. I mean, who would want to interact with a hybrid? As nice as keeping to yourself can be, I can get lonely sometimes. I kind of want to get to know people. Perhaps if I was just careful…

It took me a few moments to realize the girl in the beanie was giving me an odd look. I realized I had been silent for at least fifteen seconds while I was thinking intently on how to answer what was to to the girl, a simple question. The girl just seemed even more nervous than before. I really couldn't blame her.

Okay, now I couldn't leave this girl behind. She was a nervous wreck. This must be scary for a girl like her. Someone had to show her the ropes. Besides, as long as I was careful, I would be fine. I was just showing her where the turf lobby was for cod's sake.

More importantly, I needed to make connections with people. I have to socialize at least somewhat. I needed to get on a good turf team and I it would pay later to be on somebody's good list.

"Oh, you're looking for the turf lobby?" I finally asked while trying to be friendly.

"Y-Yes!" responded the inkling.

"It's up at the square." I asked before adding, "You're new aren't you?"

The girl gave a subdued sigh and frowned, "Is it really that obvious?"

"Well," I joked, "I don't think many people carry such a large backpack with them when they're just casually walking down the street."

The girl stifled a small giggle. Good she was opening up a bit.

"Hey, don't worry," I said, "I just got here to."

The girl's jaw dropped. "You're new?" she gasped in disbelief.

"Yup." I responded with a shrug.

The girl's eyes reflected a tinge of disappointment at my response. Poor girl. It was so obvious she was trying to not seem like some wide eyed newbie. My relaxed attitude probably made me seem like a pro to her. She was just trying to blend in. You know what? I can relate to that.

"Hey," I said, "Us newbies gotta stick together, right? What's your name?"

The girl faced seemed to lighten up almost immediately. Maybe she wasn't expecting to see such a friendly face in Inkopolis? Maybe she was glad that she just wasn't the only newbie? I dunno.

"Penny," she smiled enthusiastically extending her hand in greeting, "It's nice to meet you."

"Mollie," I replied as I shook her hand, "Now, how about I show you the turf lobby…"

I lead Penny down the road. It felt nice to help a fellow newbie out. However, I still got the sinking sensation that I was already getting to close…

Oh well brain, you warned me…


	3. Soldiers and Masks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mollie enjoys Penny's company while feeling conflicted at the fact that she is hiding her true identity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally was able to credit the image that inspired me to make this story and that Mollie is based off of. There is still no author but here it is 
> 
> https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1032096-splatoon
> 
> Thanks and please continue enjoying the story

"So what do you plan to do up here?" I asked Penny trying to kill time considering I walked at least ten minutes away from the square to avoid helmet girl from earlier.

"The usual," replied Penny as she adjusted her beanie, "I'm going to play turf and find a team to take me in!"

Figures. Joining a team was the first step to success here. I realized that I was probably going to have a considerably hard time finding one considering how many newbies come this time of year. Plus, even if I did, I'm not sure I could keep my race a secret, especially in a turf war. Even now, I was constantly adjusting my glasses and hoodie in paranoia.

"What weapon do you use?" I asked casually trying to avoid the sinking sensation that my glasses would somehow magically fly away.

The inkling immediately reverted to the timid girl that I was talking to five minutes ago, "Well…" she mumbled, "I've kinda...haven't played turf war yet. I don't really know what weapons there are."

It took me a good bit of self discipline not to visibly gawk at the girl, which was good considering that she seemed pretty embarrassed by it. Okay, it's going to be hard enough for her as it is to find a team but not knowing your basic weapons? Plenty of inklings start turfing for the first time in Inkopolis but there was not _**one**_ inkling I ever saw who didn't know the basics of their race's favorite sport. What kind of inkling was this girl? All of us inklings (well I guess I technically don't count) are practically addicted to this sport!

I tried to hide my shock by very politely asking, "You didn't go to a local turf place in town?"

Penny seemed to grow increasingly flustered as she tried to explain herself. "Well...you see...I kind of live in the middle of nowhere," she began as she laughed nervously, "I live on a farm with my parents. We're pretty far out."

Inkling farmers? Never heard of that kind of profession before. Inklings are so rabid about turfing that they hardly ever do anything else for a living. At least that explained her alarming lack of knowledge. Hopefully, this girl would catch on soon. Maybe she could do a couple of casual matches before finding a turf team or something?

"Oh I see," I responded politely as Penny was clearly embarrassed, "It's pretty easy to understand. You'll get it."

"I hope so." replied Penny before quickly changing the subject, "So where is the place I can register for turf war?"

"It's a small annex to the turf lobby." I said as we entered the square, "Right about over there."

I pointed to a small, admittedly dinky, building connected to the turf lobby. It seemed more of an afterthought than an actual extension. It was actually behind the building, which was fitting considering how it grotesquely stood out.

I quickly scanned the square, helmet girl was nowhere to be found.

We entered through a dinky door and found ourselves in what looked like a basement converted into some sort of registration room. A single lightbulb illuminated this entire basement like area and boxes were all over the place. This whole facility seemed to be in was a single long line going up to the desks of what looked like a very unhappy female inkling. She was absolutely swarmed by inklings all trying to get their turf cards.

I saw multiple other desks that didn't appear to be in use but I guess a single inkling was running the show today. Just my luck. I had to deal with walking for hours to get into Inkopolis and now I get to wait for a few more in an understaffed bureaucratic institution. Lovely. Just lovely.

"This looks like a really long line." said Penny, stating the obvious.

"Yeah," I said, "Hopefully, I can just transfer my old turf I.D and be done with it."

After about 15 minutes of waiting the line hardly budged.

I tried to kill some time on my squid phone but there was no cellular dwon here. No internet either which meant no texting and no surfing the web. So I had to bite the bullet and just play Kraken Run a million times before finally, thank cod, we got to the front of the line.

The girl at the desk seemed incredibly disinterested in me and seemed she would rather be doing anything else.

"Name?" she asked without looking up.

"Mollie Smith."

"Do you have a turf card from another district."

"Yup."

"May I see…"

I handed the inkling the turf card and her eyes widened. Oh crud. The thing has my face on it! I looked over at Penny, hoping she hadn't noticed but fortunately she had not. She was too busy doing something on her phone.

The bored girl looked at my card and then at me a few times before muttering something about how weird Inkopolis was getting before asking me to sign a waiver. I signed it and I was done. Penny's turn came next and it took much longer but eventually she finished up to.

We exited with our new turf cards in hand. Well, more specifically in pocket for me. It still had my face on it after all. Penny was ogling over hers as if it were a gold brick. Well, I can't blame her, you couldn't pay me anything to be in that line again. In fact, the line seemed like it was now twice as long as when we came in.

We must have been in there for two hours because it was already pretty dark out. Inkopolis began to flick on its nightlight, forming a sea of color with all those neon signs. Despite the fact I had wasted an entire day, it was pretty enough to put me in a relatively good mood. Hey, I made what I guess is a friend if we put aside the fact that I'm actively hiding my race from her. I got my turf war card and made it here so all in all, it had been a pretty good day despite some missteps.

"Oh man…" I said aloud looking around at all the colors, "It's...breathtaking!"

Penny looked absolutely enchanted, which probably shouldn't surprise me. If she lived on such a small farm, this was probably unlike anything she ever saw. I had to admit, this was pretty awesome to say the least. This was going to be a great place to live.

"Well," I yawned, "I've gotta rent my apartment before it gets too late."

"Huh?" said Penny distracted as she was still looking at all the lights, "Where are you staying?"

"Flounder heights." I replied.

"Wait what?!" beamed Penny suddenly, "I'm staying there too! We'll be neighbors!"

What came next was a mixture of happiness and nervousness. I was completely blown away at how I was going to be living right next to Penny. It would be great to have her as neighbor.

But I was still worried...Was I pulling myself to close? What if she found out that I'm a hybrid? What then? I didn't expect to be living with her. I intended to fly under the radar but this may be biting off more than I could chew.

"Is something wrong?" asked Penny as I was visibly frowning.

"Nothing…" I smiled innocently, "I was just in thought."

"Well I may want to check in to!" she replied, "Let's walk together!"

Penny was ecstatic to have me as a neighbor. All the shyness was gone, she was just as happy as could be. Good. I mean, I would have a lot of problems because of it but still...good. If I managed to unintentionally make an inkling happy in a world that sometimes really can slap you around like it did to me today, then good.

We had to walk through the square which was crowded with even more inklings than during the day. Inklings like to stay up late and I wanted to explore more but we had to get to Flounder Heights to check in.

As we took some backroads, Penny asked, "So...where do you come from anyway, Mollie?"

"Just a small town," I replied, "Nothing fancy."

"That's interesting!" said Penny, "I wonder what it's like to...Waugh!"

Penny suddenly fell through the street. I'm not joking she literally fell through the pavement. I looked to see that she fell into a manhole cover that was for some reason, ajar. It was really dark so it was hard to see.

"Penny are you all right!" I shouted. There was nobody around to help.

I shined my squid phone down and saw a chute that slanted steeply down at an angle for a couple of feet before dipping straight down at a vertical angle into darkness. I could just _**barely**_ make out Penny who was clinging desperately to the slant just before the vertical drop off.

"Help me!" she cried hysterically, "Please! I'm gonna fall! I'm gonna fall!"

Crud. Crud. Crud. This was bad. Really really bad. Her fingers were bright red and the chute was slippery with rain water. She wasn't gonna last much longer. I was beginning to panic. There wasn't anyone around. This chute could lead to pipes or something that she could bust her head open on or worse...water. I didn't want this to happen. I just made a friend. I didn't want her to hurt or kill herself.

There wasn't time to make an inkpath. My hair was dark blue while Penny's was orange. Changing ink color would take minutes to do. It also requires being calm, sort of like meditating, which I was certainly not.

"I'm slipping, Mollie!" screamed Penny.

I did something completely rash and stupid. I carefully slithered through the hole and put my feet onto the ramp portion of the chute before the drop while grabbing the edge of tar above to support myself. My feet immediately began to slip on the slippery surface but I was able to hold on to the road.

"Grab my hand!" I yelled.

This was my best shot. I'm not sure what was motivating me to do this. I could slip, fall, and take Penny down with me. I mean it was really dangerous but how could I leave her there? She was just a shy girl trying to make a stake in Inkopolis. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve such a sadistic twist of fate.

Fortunately, Penny was able to latch on. I felt the tug of her weight immediately but I was able to keep my grip on the tar above.

"Easy does it." I said, "Easy, easy,_!

Suddenly, Penny's second hand slipped and lost it's grip as she tried to crawl up on her knees. She no longer had any hand hold except my hand which meant I was bearing the weight of her entire body. Instead of letting go, I held on as hard as I could but that mistake proved a deadly error. Penny ended up pulling me down with her as I lost the grip on the tar above.

I slammed into Penny as we tumbled down the shoot. I remember hitting something else and then rolling before falling again and sliding. It felt like a roller coaster but way more painful. This was all happening so fast and I instinctively turned into squidopus form so I wouldn't have gravity pull on me so hard. At the speed we were going if I landed the wrong way I could snap my sorry nech.

As soon as I turned into cephalopod, all the painful bouncing stopped, almost as if this crazy system of chutes and crap was meant for squids. We kept slipping and sliding long enough for me to wonder why I wasn't dead yet. This seemed too...controlled. There was an order to all these chaotic twist and turns.

Suddenly, I felt nothing beneath me before spiraling in midair before hitting the ground, hard, before everything stopped. I saw a sunless sky ahead of me and bare rock.

My vision was a bit fuzzy and I felt like throwing up. I did nothing for the next few minutes except to change form. Even that was agonizing because of how much my body ached. I slowly sat up to see if Penny had made it. I checked my head as well. Fortunately, my glasses and hoodie had stayed on. I saw that Penny had indeed made it . She was on the ground and tried to sit up but collapsed before throwing up all over the rock.

Gross. It seemed like she had an even rougher ride then I did.

"Yo, are you okay?" I asked as I stood up.

"I feel really...woozy." she said exasperated.

She was shaking, probably letting the adrenaline fade. I took the time to look around. What was more surprising than being dead is that there was actual _**stuff**_ down here. There was a shack, a small tree, along with banner decorations. Someone was actually _**living**_ down here. This didn't look like a sewer but what kind of weirdo makes a home here?

"W-Where are we?" asked Penny nervously.

She stood up but was still swaying a bit. I had shaken off most of the cobwebs in my brain but was still feeling a bit dizzy myself.

"I'm not sure." I responded, "There's got to be a way back. Look around. Let's just remain calm."

I looked around and finding what I thought was an exit was surprisingly easy. In the center of this area looked to be a pedestal with a grate on itl that looked like it was practically begging to be jumped through. However, I wasn't ready to leave just yet.

"It looks like we can go through here!" said Penny who was now standing up, "Let's get out of here! I don't like this place!"

"You can." I said, "But I think I should figure out what's going on. This looks a bit suspicious."

Actually, this place feels familiar. I can't put my finger one it. Almost as if I had been here before...

"Okay..." she said nervously looking like she was ready to jump through the exit at a moments notice, "But I-I'm gonna stay over here…"

"Suit yourself." I said as I went past the shack.

None of this made sense. Who has a shack down here? There were a few trees and multiple kettles as I looked around plus lots of rock formations. I made sure never to keep Penny out of my view though and I certainly wasn't going through any of those kettles.

"Did you find anything?" yelled Penny a couple of meters away. She was still right next to the grate.

"Not much! Let's_!"

I was interrupted by a loud snort coming from the shack. I immediately went on full alert and mouthed to Penny, _HIDE!_

I hide behind a panel of metal and Penny hid behind a nearby tree near the grate. I began to sweat. Someone was actually down here. If we needed to bolt, Penny would be fine since she was close to the grate but I was going to have to run several meters.

Stupid Mollie! You just had to go exploring didn't you? Use your poor excuse for a head!

There was movement in the chat followed by what was a lazy yawn. I noticed a flash of sky blue and saw an inkling exiting the shack leisurely. She must have been sleeping soundly so I guess she hadn't noticed us. The inkling was a girl and had two long sky blue tentacles. In one hand, she had a box labeled "Chocofish Chocalates" and in the other a turf war magazine. She stretched and yawned again before sitting down and reading her magazine.

The thing that disturbed me the most was how this inkling was dressed. She wasn't wearing typical inkling fashion. Instead, she looked like she was wearing some weird yellow coat, thick black boots, and weird looking earpieces. Even more alarming, she had an inktank on and some weird looking inkbrush right next to her in arms reach. Something about this inkbrush didn't feel right, it looked way more high tech.

This inkling looked like a soldier or a guard or something despite her laid back demeanor. Something was definitely fishy down here. I never saw any clothes or weapons like that for sale in shops or magazines. This gear looked militarized.

Okay, this was really scary. How was I supposed to get passed her? If she was a guard or something wouldn't she try to splat me? She's just a kid though. Would she really do that? I could get splatted for real if she had the nerve to actually use that weapon.

Soldier Girl, however, didn't seem to be that focused or attentive. She was still engrossed in her turf magazine. Occasionally, reaching for a chocolate. It was so odd. She seemed like such an ordinary girl. Why would she be down here with militarized gear and whatnot?

I guess this was as good as a time as any. I had to go for it while she was distracted. I had some distance to cover though since I separated myself from Penny, who would easily be able to escape due to her proximity to the grate.

"Penny, run!" I screamed as I broke into a run, trying to get past the inkling who immediately swiveled her head toward me and shock.

Penny immediately obeyed and was through the grate in seconds, oversized backpack and all. Good.

I however was still in a mad dash for the grate and I had Soldier Girl in the way. Soldier Girl was stunned. I'm pretty sure this was the last thing she was expecting today. Her mouth was hanging open and she had dropped both the box of chocolates and the turf magazine.

"What the Zapfish?!" she yelled in complete confusion.

I got to her before she could even make a move to stop me. I took the initiative of her surprise and took a running swing with my fist as hard as I could. I connected and the girl toppled over into the shack with a loud crash. I was just at the grate when I could make out Soldier Girl yelling, "Hey! Stop!"

I didn't even look back before turning into a cephalopod and jumping through the grate. It was so dark I couldn't see. I felt myself twisting and turning before being pulled...upwards? I couldn't tell. I didn't hear Soldier Girl fallow me.

What was going on down there? A crime syndicate? A military operation? Why was a kid being employed there? Suddenly, I saw a glimmer of bright light which suddenly exploded into a blaze as I felt myself soaring though the air before hitting the ground.

The ride was less painful and nauseating but I was still dazed after being hurled what I assumed was a good ten feet in the air. I layed on the ground and tried to get a grip on what had happened.

"Oh cod you're all right!"

I could see Penny rushing over to me. I looked around and we looked to be in an alleyway. I could see the orange sky above me. I could see the faint glow of neon lights that just barely reached the confines of the alley. I was in Inkopolis. I was safe. I was...home? Can I even call this a home? I haven't even gotten an apartment yet let alone stay here for a night. Despite, that I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened back there? What's going on with that place? Are you hurt" yelled Penny breathlessly.

Don't know, don't know, and no.

"Hey," I said getting up and observing the grate I just came through, "Relax. We're safe. Let's just get to the hotel and decide what to do next."

Penny looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

"We can't just forget about this?" she argued, "You're just going to leave?"

"No I'm not." I said as I pulled out my phone, "I'm reporting this to the police."

It's odd. I never reported something or called the cops. Honestly, inklings never committed any real crimes. Maybe there was that one kid who _**really**_ wanted that fresh shirt that was too expensive and decided it would be a good idea to steal it but there wasn't much crime in Inkopolis or any other inkling city for that matter. I saw a couple of cops around my neighborhood. Jellyfish mostly. Pretty nice actually.

I dialed the number for reporting suspicious activity on my phone while keeping an eye on the grate making sure Soldier Girl didn't decide to make an appearance.

" _This is being the Inkopolis Police Force speaking from a messages. Please be stating the nature of the activity you are wishing to be reporting. Press 1 for the hacking of the turf war. Press 2 for suspected…"_

Huh. I guess the police force here was jellyfish as well. I didn't know where to place, "Secret Shack Connected to Sewer System with Creepy Guard Girl." so I decided to press 9 "miscellanous activities"

I didn't really know what to say so it came out like this…

"Umm, this is gonna sound really weird but the sewer grate on Kelp Street's leads to a weird shack that isn't in the sewer. There's a girl guarding it in high powered gear and it looks pretty suspicious. Uhh...bye! Please check it out."

I didn't now what more to say so I hung up. Penny however still looked really nervous.

"Seriously," I said, "Re-lax! We've reported the whole thing! Let's just walk to our hotel. C'mon."

Penny opened her mouth like she was about to say something but decided against it. We walked in silence for a while before she finally spoke.

"Mollie...I'm scared." she whispered softly, "What was going on down there?"

"Hey, it doesn't matter we did our duty and reported it." I said, "The cops will take care of it now."

"But what if the rest of Inkopolis is like this?!" said Penny who was bordering on crying, "What if its infested with crime? I don't want to just run into places like that all the time!"

I stopped walking. I felt really bad for Penny and in some ways related. She was in a new place that she never been in before. Now, much like me, she ran into a bad situation right out the gate and had to wonder if it's going to be like that all the time. I was scared of that fear too. I wouldn't be wearing these glasses and hoodie if I wasn't.

I put my hand on Penny's shoulder. She twitched but stood still and gave me her attention. Good.

"Listen…" I said wiping a tear of her face, "You're going down a rabbit hole at this point. I've never heard anything about Inkopolis being crime ridden. We just ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You shouldn't let that ruin it for you."

"Thanks…" said Penny with a small smile before suddenly stepping back and saying, "I'm sorry. This must be weird for you. We're total strangers."

"After what we just went through I don't really think that's an accurate description at this point," I joked, "It's fine if you're scared."

I jestured to the massive city which was covered in color and lights and said, "Look, we're here to have fun, be fresh, and have our own place. Let's conquer this city. We can't do that if we're worried about something that may not even exist!"

"You're right." smiled Penny who looked much more relaxed, "You want to go to our hotel now?"

"Yeah." I replied.

And we walked over to what would be our new home. I'm glad I met this girl. What would distancing myself from her have done. I'm not all that afraid anymore even though I probably should be. I reminded myself not to let my guard down. Maybe she would be a totally different person if I let my secret slip. People surprise you.

Then again, Inkopolis is full of surprises and I don't think I've seen anything yet…


End file.
